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Video: great white shark attack on Cape Cod

An amateur videographer captured the ferocious power and deadly intent of a white shark that attacked a grey seal along the edge of Cape Cod National Seashore. Just feet away from where the waters of the grey Atlantic meet the shore of Massachusetts, a great white shark can be seen in the video attack the hapless seal.

KenvorCothey recorded the attack that happened in the shallows off a beach on High Head Road near Truro, Massachusetts, recently.

While the great white shark bit the shark, it failed to kill it outright. Blood can be seen in the foam and surf as the seal sought to elude the fish and escape to shore. The bleeding seal made it to shore.

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Executive Director Cynthia Wigren of the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said that what Cothey observed is a common occurrence. “We’ve seen on multiple occasions a white shark bite once and wait for the seal to bleed out,” Wigren said. “It’s unclear if this occurred or if the seal was simply able to get away.”

The wound appears to be life-threatening, even while the newspaper reported that the seal survived the attack.

In a post at its Facebook page, Atlantic White Shark Conservancy commented that the great white shark seemed to have some difficulty returning to the deep. “This is what we believe may be happening when white sharks strand on Cape Cod,” the Facebook post said.

Strandings of great white sharks are relatively rare, but they do happen. In 2015, three sharks were stranded. One was saved when it was towed to open water. This year, the first great white shark to be stranded was discovered on Nauset Beach in October. It could not be saved.

As in the recent incident, the stranded sharks may have been chasing their favorite prey: seals. However, seals are not the only thing on the menu for the fishy beasts. A 65-year-old surfer was attacked today off the shore of Australia. The unidentified Australian survived the attack, suffering puncture wounds to his leg and arm. He was taken to a hospital in New South Wales after the attack near Booti Booti. The severity of the attack was evidenced by the fact that the shark bit the man's surf board in half.